Different Kind of Heaven
by SeleneMorrigan
Summary: When Buffy jumps into the portal created by Dawn's blood, The Powers That Be intervene before her soul is sent to Heaven and offer her the chance to be reborn into a new life.
1. Prologue

"Buffy, it hurts," Dawn cried out upon seeing her sister, her body bleeding from the shallow cuts made by Doc. Doc turned to face Buffy, intending to fight, but Buffy simply pushed him off of the tower in her rush to get to Dawn. Buffy begins to free Dawn from her restraints.

"I got it. Come here. You're gonna be fine." Buffy said, as she began to lead Dawn to the steps down. Before they got very far, the blood dripping from Dawn's wounds began to open the portal.

"Buffy, it's started." Buffy turned and saw that the portal was indeed open and shooting out lightning that transformed the city around them. She turned back to face Dawn.

"I'm sorry," Dawn said, apologizing for the horrors that were going on around them. Buffy shook her head.

"It doesn't matter," Buffy exclaimed, stopping Dawn as she tried to run past her to where the portal was.

"What are you doing?" Buffy implored, holding onto Dawn to prevent her from trying again.

"I have to jump. The energy -" Dawn replied before being cut off by Buffy.

"It'll kill you," Buffy scolded. Dawn smiled at her with a sad expression on her face.

"I know. Buffy, I know about the ritual. I have to stop it," Dawn proposed, hoping that Buffy would let her fix the problem that she unwillingly created.

"No," Buffy responds as the tower begins to shake.

"I have to. Look at what's happening," Dawn tries again to reason with Buffy when the portal spits a dragon.

"Buffy, you have to let me go. Blood starts it, and until the blood stops flowing, it'll never stop. You know you have to let me. It has to have the blood," Dawn implored. When Dawn said that it had to have the blood, Buffy had an epiphany. Dawn was made from Buffy's blood and she remembered what the First Slayer told her, "Death is your gift." Buffy realizes what she needs to do and turns to look at the portal. As she watches the sun rise, she feels even more reassured that her choice is the correct one and turns back to face Dawn. Upon seeing the look on Buffy's face, Dawn comes to the same realization that Buffy did and her whole body goes cold.

"Buffy, no."

"Dawnie, I have to."

"No!" Dawn was starting to freak out by this time.

"Listen to me. Please, there's not a lot of time. Dawn, listen to me. I love you. I will always love you, but this is the work that I have to do. Tell Giles... Tell Giles I figured it out and... and I'm okay. And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live... for me." Buffy kissed Dawn on the cheek and then jumped off of the tower into the portal. As soon as Buffy entered the portal, the only thing she knew was pain. It felt like the portal was breaking every single bone in her body all at the same time.

Suddenly, the pain was gone and Buffy was standing in a room that she had never seen before. The room was blinding white and the only other person in the room was someone that she knew was dead, her sister slayer Kendra.

"Is this Heaven?" Buffy asked, looking around at the surroundings. Kendra chuckled, drawing Buffy's attention away from the room they were in.

"No, this is Limbo. The Powers That Be have brought you here," Kendra replied.

"The Powers That Be? Why?" Buffy inquired, confused as to why they would interfere.

"They have a proposition for you. They are offering you a chance to be reborn into a new body. In this new life, you will find happiness and love. However, there is a price, you will eventually be pulled back in the Slayer life for one last battle against evil." Kendra explained.

"And if I turn down their oh so generous offer?" Buffy countered, not pleased with their initial offer.

"If you decline, then you will go to Heaven and be at peace, but that peace will not last. A few months from now, your friends will attempt to resurrect you and if your soul is in Heaven, they will succeed. If a Slayer's soul is ripped from Heaven, it will cause a chain reaction that will bring about the end of the world. And this will not be like any other evil you have faced. If this evil gains a foothold before the prophesized time, every one you love will die." Kendra explained to Buffy, who was now in shock.

"Well, when you put it that way, the choice becomes a no brainer. But before I go, I want to apologize to you. It was my fault that you died," Buffy responded. Kendra shook her head.

"Buffy, it was not your fault. I thought that I could take on Drusilla alone and I paid for that mistake with me life. I have never blamed you so do not blame yourself for me mistake. It is time," Kendra said, a loud gong sounding. "Farewell, Buffy. May you live a long and happy life." Kendra smiled and Buffy reciprocated, before everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I do not own it.

Liese Reynolds had started the day just like any other, she woke up precisely at half past six and started to prepare breakfast for her husband, Brian, and herself. Breakfast was done at seven just as Brian got done getting dressed for work. They ate breakfast together and discussed their plans for the day. After breakfast, Liese would kiss Brian on the cheek as he left for the office and then she would clean up around the house for about two hours. After cleaning, Liese decided to call Brian while at work and ask if he wanted anything special from the grocery store. After getting off the phone, Liese made her list and drove to the store. While at the store, Liese ran into her mother, Ruth Wilkes, and stopped to chat with her.

"Mama, this is such a nice surprise. How are things at home with Papa?" Liese asked.

"Oh, you know your father. He is still with the Lake Avenue church and teaching the Lord's good word. How is Brian?" Ruth said.

"Brian is good, he is getting a promotion to manager at the bank. In fact, we are going to be hosting a dinner party to celebrate next Thursday at seven. Can you and Papa make it?" Liese asked. Ruth thought for a second before nodding.

"Yes, your father has a meeting at the church that day at four but it should be over by six. Have you spoken to your brothers yet?" Ruth asked.

"Not yet. I was going to call them later after they get off work." Liese stated.

"Well, I need to finish my shopping so that I can get home and get started on the laundry. It was nice to see you, angel." Ruth said, and Liese nodded, needing to finish shopping herself.

Liese quickly finished her shopping and drove home. Once she got home, she saw both her husband's car and her best friend, Wendy Miller's car in her driveway. At first she was confused as to why Wendy was there, but she remembered asking Wendy to stop by for some advice on a birthday gift for Brian. As for Brian, he sometimes came home for lunch. Liese grabbed all of the bags from the trunk of her car and walked inside the house. She first stopped in the kitchen to put everything away before walking to the living room to talk to Wendy, only to discover that Wendy was not there.

Liese then heard a strange noise coming from upstairs and went to investigate, her suspicions growing. Once upstairs, Liese realized that the noise was coming from her bedroom. Liese walked to the bedroom door and pushed it open, only to find Brian in their bed with Wendy. She gasped in shock, drawing the attention of the two people in bed. Brian and Wendy paled in fear when they saw Liese at the door. Liese became enraged at the sight, but she turned to walk away instead, not wanting to cause a scene. Brian, upon seeing Liese walk away, jumped out of bed and ran after his wife.

"Liese, wait! This isn't what it looks like. Liese, sweetheart, you know that I love you. Stop!" Brian shouted, as Liese continued to walk away from him. At his words, Liese whirled around, rage and sadness clearly evident in her expression.

"And what is exactly is going on? Correct me if I am wrong, but men do not just happen to fall into bed with another woman while both are naked. You were having sex in our bed with my now former best friend. How long?" Liese replied.

"How long, what?" Brian responded, feigning confusion at her question. Liese's eyes narrowed in rage.

"Don't play games with me, Brian. How long have you been sleeping with her?" Liese demanded. Brian sighed, before answering.

"Five months. You have to believe me, I didn't want this to happen and I especially didn't want you to find out this way. I was going to tell you but there never seemed to be a good time." Brian said.

"Five months and you couldn't find a single time to let me know that you were having an affair? Since you didn't have the courage to tell me, I will tell you. This marriage is over. I want a divorce." Liese said.

"Divorce? Isn't that a bit extreme? I still love you and I am willing to fix this. Please, stay." Brian pleaded, but Liese shook her head.

"I am sorry, but, if you have lied to my face these past months about this, what else have you lied about? I can't trust anything you say anymore. I am going to stay with my parents while the divorce is being settled." Liese turned and walked to her car, leaving Brian standing in the doorway of their house. Liese started her car and drove across town to her parents' house.

She pulled into the driveway of their house but before she got out of the car, all of the emotions she had been feeling since the revelation of Brian's betrayal erupted causing her to burst into tears. Liese sat there with her against the steering wheel for about ten minutes until she heard someone knocking on her window. Startled, Liese lifted her head and looked into the face of her father, Andrew, who was standing next to her car with a concerned look on his face. Liese wiped her eyes and got out of her car. Andrew pulled Liese into a hug, doing his best to comfort his distraught daughter.

"What's wrong, angel?" Andrew asked, releasing Liese from the hug so that he could look her in the eyes. Liese hesitated to answer, not wanting to tell her father, who was a preacher and had been married for over thirty years that her marriage of only two years was ending.

"It's Brian. I just found that he has been cheating on me for five months with Wendy. I have asked him for a divorce." Liese answered, looking down at the ground, ashamed. Liese felt her father's arms encircle her again and looked up to see sadness, not disappointment, and a hint of anger in his eyes.

"Come inside. I'll have Ruth make a pot of tea, call your brothers and we will all discuss what to do next." Andrew said, as he led Liese inside the house. Andrew walked into the kitchen to tell Ruth to make some tea while Liese went to the sitting room and sat down on one of

the couches. Andrew came into the room and sat down in his favorite chair.

"I called the boys and they said that they will be here in about twenty minutes. That will give us enough time to enjoy our tea before we need to discuss anything. I don't want you to have to repeat yourself." Andrew said and Liese smiled, relieved to only have to tell the story once.

"Thank you, Papa, for being so understanding." Liese said, a huge weight off of her shoulders. Liese and Andrew discussed other things while they waited for the tea.

"How are things at the church?" Liese asked.

"Well, there is talk that someone is going to be transferred next week to a church in a small town, I can't think of the name at the moment, in Georgia because the preacher wishes to retire." Andrew said. Before Liese could ask another question, Ruth entered the room with the tea and some cookies. She set the platter down on the table and sat down across from Liese. Ruth poured the tea into three cups and passed one to both Andrew and Liese before grabbing hers. They sat in awkward silence for a few moments, drinking the tea, when they heard someone knock on the door. Ruth set her cup down and went to answer the door. Andrew and Liese heard the unmistakeable voices of her three brothers; Simon, Matthew and Thomas. A few moments later, they all entered the sitting room and sat down, waiting to hear why they were called there.

"Before Liese says anything, I want you all to promise that you won't do anything rash." Andrew said, everyone nodding in agreement. He then gestured for Liese to begin her story. Liese cleared her throat and willed herself to not break down while telling her family about what happened to her.

"I have asked Brian for a divorce. He..." Liese said before she was cut off by her oldest brother, Simon.

"What did that bastard do?" Simon never liked Brian, always thought that there was something shifty about him.

"He was cheating on me for five months with Wendy." Simon, Matthew and Thomas all stood up and were headed for the front door before being stopped by their father.

"Boys, get back in here. I know what you are all thinking and you need to stop it. What's done is done and all we can do is help Liese through this pain." Andrew said as they sat back down.

"Thomas, I was hoping that since you are a lawyer, you could help me with the divorce." Liese said.

"Of course, you don't even need to ask. I will draft up the papers when I am in the office tomorrow. They will be ready to be filed in about a week." Thomas said.

"That soon? I thought that it would take longer." Liese replied.

"Filing the papers doesn't equal instant divorce. Brian will have thirty days in which he can file a response. If he doesn't, the courts will proceed with only your input and the divorce will be finalized in six months." Thomas explained.

"Liese, have you thought about what you are going to do once the divorce is finalized?" Matthew said. Liese thought for a moment before responding.

"Papa, you were saying that someone was going to be transferred to that church in Georgia. Would you be willing to volunteer for the transfer?" Liese asked.

"What are you thinking?" Andrew asked.

"Well, I know that once the divorce is final, I won't be able to live in this town without a million things reminding me of Brian. A new start in a new town might be just what I need. But only if you and Mama are willing to move as well. I know that you like this town." Liese said.

"Excuse us for a moment." Andrew and Ruth left the room to discuss it before returning a few minutes later with smiles on their faces.

"Well, it seems that we are going to need some help packing." Andrew said. Liese stood and hugged her parents.

"Thank you. I would love to help you pack. Thomas, do I need to stay in California while the divorce is being finalized?" Liese asked and Thomas nodded.

"Well, in that case, could I stay with you, Simon, until this nightmare is over?" Liese asked.

"Of course you can, little sis." Simon said.

"Since you are all here, why don't you stay for dinner?" Ruth asked. They all agreed and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

-Fast Forward a week-

Everything was packed and ready to go for the move to Georgia. Andrew and Ruth stood outside of their house, saying goodbye to all of their children before it was time to leave.

"We will see you in about six months. Have a nice trip." Liese said, happy since her divorce papers were filed earlier that day. After one final round of goodbyes, Andrew and Ruth climbed into their car and set off on their trip. Simon, Matthew, Thomas and Liese all stood in the driveway, waving until they could no longer see the car.


End file.
